Over 70% of Americans Flunk Basic Civics Quiz
Recent survey data shows over 70 percent of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz, The Todd Starnes Show reported on Tuesday.
During a radio interview with Starnes, high school history teacher Gabriel Delaney said “civic illiteracy is a huge issue in today’s society.”
“Civic illiteracy is a huge issue today. One of my first experiences with that was working a bus route at my church. I asked the kids a simple trivia question—‘Who was the first president of the United States?’—and none of the high school students could answer it,” Delaney said.
Delaney said that was the moment “I realized how badly our modern public school education system is failing—not just the citizens of today, but the citizens of tomorrow as well.”
Listen to his full interview here.
“There has been a dumbing down, for sure. I’ve taught history for almost three years, but this is my first year teaching government and economics, and I’m surprised at how little knowledge students have going into the class,” he said.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that only 50 percent of surveyed Americans can identify the branch of government where bills become laws. Only 25 percent felt “very confident” that they could explain how America’s system of government operates.
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Delaney has taught history for three years, but the 2025-26 school year is the first time he’s teaching a civic-related course.
“The amount of information that people don’t know is kind of alarming,” he told Starnes.
He tries to make history more engaging for students by getting them to understand current events and how historical moments impact them.
“I start my government and U.S. history classes by teaching that America was founded on Christian principles. That’s blatant throughout American history,” he said. “The Declaration of Independence mentions God four different times. It’s impossible to teach American history without teaching our Christian heritage.”
We have a fighting chance to save the Republic with history teachers like Gabriel Delaney.
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